Ayodhya dispute: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat says Indian Muslims did not demolish Ram Mandir, vows to 'fight' for it

PTI photo

MUMBAI: Muslims in India did not demolish the Ram Mandir, said Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat while raking up Ayodhya dispute once again on Sunday. 

"The Muslim community in India did not destroy the Ram Mandir. Indian nationals can't do such a thing. Foreign forces destroyed temples here to demoralise Indians," said Bhagwat while speaking at a Viraat Hindu Sammelan at Dahanu in adjoining Palghar district.

Bhagwat further stressed that it is the nation's responsibility to restore the Ram Mandir.

“The temple in Ayodhya was demolished by those outside India. It is our responsibility to restore what was demolished within the country. The temple should be built where it actually was. We are ready to fight for it,” he added. 

"If the Ram Mandir (in Ayodhya) is not rebuilt, the root of our culture will be cut. There is no doubt that the temple will be built at the spot where it was," Bhagwat said.

"But today, we are independent. We have the right to rebuild whatever was destroyed because these were not just temples but the symbols of our identity," he said.

The final hearing in the centuries-old Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute is before the Supreme Court at present. The top court is hearing 13 appeals filed against the 2010 judgment of the Allahabad High Court in four civil suits. The petitions challenge the high court verdict that mandated a three-way division of the disputed site in Ayodhya.

The RSS chief also hit out at opposition parties, blaming them for the recent caste violence in several parts of the country.

"Those whose shops have been shut (those who lost out in elections) are now inciting people to fight on issues of caste," Bhagwat said. 

With agency inputs